Important Decisions Seniors Must Make When Downsizing from Their Current Home

When it’s time to downsize from your current home, you’ll be faced with many life-altering decisions that will affect you and your loved ones for years to come. For instance, you’ll need to decide whether you need a smaller home or a care community, and whether to keep your current home and rent it out, or sell it and move on. In some cases, you may even wonder if you should keep the home in the family. 

However, deciding where you’ll live and what to do with your current home aren’t the only decisions you’ll need to make when downsizing. You’ll also need to decide what you’d like to do with all your furniture, decor, and collectibles—especially if you won’t have room in your new home for these items.  

Read on to learn more about these important decisions and how to face them. 

Should I search for care communities?

The short answer, of course, is yes. Using online resources such as SenioCare.com can help you narrow down your search by zeroing in on the communities with the highest rating. After all, there are many different skilled care homes available in the Atlanta area, and being able to search at a glance by rating can make the process a little easier. If you need further assistance, you can speak to care advisors over the phone, who can provide you with more important information. 

Should I sell my home, rent it out, or keep the property in my family?

After deciding to downsize, one of the biggest decisions you’ll need to make is determining what to do with your existing home. You’ll need to decide if you should keep the home in the family, rent it out to a stranger or family member, or sell it to someone new.

Since these are all challenging decisions to make, it’s important to work with a reputable real estate agent like Kasondra McConnell. With her expertise and knowledge of the Atlanta area, she’ll be able to help you consider your options and search for a smaller, more suitable place to live. 

If you’re thinking about keeping the current home in your family, however, it’s also important to understand that this option isn’t as simple as it may seem. While you may be able to transfer the home to a family member in an outright sale, your real estate agent can help you to better understand your options.

How do I know which belongings to sell or keep?

Before downsizing into a smaller home, you’ll need to downsize your personal belongings. While this can be an overwhelming, time-consuming process, it’s best to start small and give yourself several weeks to determine which items you’d like to keep, donate, share with a family member, or toss. When downsizing your belongings, give yourself plenty of time to reflect on the items you find—as well as the memories that accompany them. 

Should I hire outside help to make the move less stressful?

With all the planning, packing, and decision-making that goes into moving, it’s no wonder why many seniors hold out on downsizing for as long as possible. In fact, Thrive Global says that moving is one of the top ten most stressful life events that we can face. However, moving is even more stressful on older adults—especially those who have lived in the same home for many years. 

Fortunately, there are a few things seniors can do to reduce the amount of stress they’ll experience when downsizing into a new home, apartment, or care facility. These include:

• Hiring a senior move manager. These professionals help seniors to cope with the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of moving into a new, unfamiliar home. Additionally, they can help seniors to declutter and transition belongings into storage. 

• Hiring professional packers and movers. Even if you’ll have helpers on moving day, it’s best to hire professional movers if you’ll be moving collectibles, antiques, or breakables—especially if you’re stressing about these items being broken or lost. 

Downsizing your home typically means less maintenance, responsibility, and worry in the future, but recognizing the benefits of downsizing won’t eliminate the stress of deciding what to do with your current home and adjusting to your new surroundings. However, weighing your options with the help of expert agent Kasondra McConnell and giving yourself plenty of time to adjust to the idea of moving will help to make this difficult life event a whole lot easier. (404) 384-7256